ALICE ART
Welcome to my website!
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Green is the prime color of the world,
and that from which its loveliness arises.
— PEDRO CALDERÓN DE LA BARCA
I go to nature to be soothed and healed,
and to have my senses put in order.
— JOHN BURROUGHS
I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.
— CLAUDE MONET


GREEN is the colour of the heart chakra, of balance and harmony. It soothes and relaxes the body with its healing energy, which those of us who choose to live and work in cities greatly need. We are living beings, but are surrounded by buildings made of metal, glass, and brick. We walk on concrete, not grass. In green spaces, our spirits are refreshed, and we find some momentary sanctuary from our busy urban lives.

Through my photographs, I wish to share with you my love and deep appreciation for the beauty to be found in nature every time we step outside our door. We are fortunate to have many parks and green spaces in Toronto. Nature can be found everywhere, even in this big city!
My photos were taken primarily in my own green oasis in St. James Cathedral Park, in the historic St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, and on the Toronto Islands. Some photos were taken in other city neighbourhoods and parks, and farther afield in the Ontario countryside.
I capture images of city and nature as I see them, in an immediate way, with no special camera settings or lenses. Flowers and trees, birds and animals simply ARE. Bursting with life, intricately designed, and in glorious colour. We all need at times to “walk into green” so we can feel renewed and truly alive!

'WALK INTO GREEN'
St. James Cathedral Park
My Photo Gallery
**photos are copyrighted © and property of Alice Briesmaster**
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Summer




Spring Scenes







Farmers' Market Bounty







Goats, Alpacas, and Donkeys







Autumn at Alderville Black Oak Savanna





City Scenes




The Beauty of Flowers-










SUMMER
WINTER








AUTUMN




Winter



February Ferry Ride to Ward's Island





Allan Gardens Easter








PAN AM GAMES 2015






My St. Lawrence Neighbourhood
Old Town and St. Lawrence Market






St. James Cathedral Park










Edwards Gardens





High Park Cherry Blossoms






Toronto Islands







Stratford, Ontario





City Scenes









Algonquin Park






Gardens in Grafton ON






September







Autumn Scenery near Parry Sound





Georgian Bay Islands





Christmas at Allan Gardens







Altered Views
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Some experiments with Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.
The artistic filters work well for flowers and city views.
Why not try it yourself?










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Alice at Rice Lake 2010
Rediscovering my creative side through painting and photography.
I am excited about this new chapter of my life!
I am originally from the United States, and in 1974 I crossed the border into Canada, settling in Toronto. In 2000 I moved downtown from the suburbs to a 12- story condo building in the lively and historic St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, not far from Lake Ontario.
Since my retirement in 2009, after 29 years at a busy and stressful investment accounting job, I have devoted my time to a variety of artistic and creative pursuits. No more numbers! A frustrated gardener with no balcony, I enjoy growing indoor green plants plus kitchen herbs under lights.
In 2024 I moved to a retirement residence in Richmond Hill. My studio apt (I call it my bohemian artist's loft) has plenty of light for plants and painting, and room for my art collection..
Photography
When I retired I purchased my first digital camera, a Panasonic Lumix. Not the fanciest camera but I loved using it and was happy with the results. I attended several classes at Henry's School of Imaging but mostly enjoy experimenting on my own, surprising myself with what happens through my lens and also what is possible on Photoshop. Since then l have used a Canon EOS camera, mostly simple point and shoot, or zooming in on my favorite subject, flowers.
Drawing and Painting
Though the years I have taken various courses in drawing and painting in the US and in Toronto. Since retirement I have taken landscape painting classes in acrylics and oils at Avenue Road Arts School and George Brown College Fine Arts Program. For several years I continued my exploration of landscape painting in classes taught by an excellent teacher, Stefan Galvanek, at LucSculpture School. I also took classes in Mixed Media and Watercolor at Ryerson's Life Institute. I am continuing painting on my own or in some art classes at the retirement residence.
See examples of my paintings on the Slide Show page.